Kiss Straightener Uses Silicone to Tame Frizzy Hair: Photo Evidence!

If you're like me, summertime scares you. And I'm not talking about the dreaded bikini or short shorts. I'm talking about the humidity. Hot, moisture-filled air that is sure to turn any sleek and straight 'do into a big, frizzy mess in a matter of seconds.

Basically, on any given summer day I could end up looking like Monica on the episode of Friends when they went to Barbados.

(Photo courtesy of rosiepowers.blogspot.com.)

Quite terrifying, really.

So when the Kiss Silicone Styler made its way to the StyleBistro offices, I was the first to pounce on it!

What sets this straightener apart from the others are its signature conditioning silicone bars embedded in the ceramic plates. This new silicone technology claims to minimize damage to hair because the silicone bars are able to: 1) cushion the hair and distribute the heat more evenly and 2) seal the hair cuticle to retain moisture.

Basically, here's the cool science behind it: the ceramic tourmaline plates emit negative ions that are supposed to counteract the positive ions that are present in dry, damaged hair. (Who knew hair was so complex?) And the special silicone bars, which aren't on most straighteners, cushion each hair strand to preserve the strand's shape and reduce damage. Makes sense!

So I put the Kiss Silicone Styler and its cool science to the test to see if it could truly take my frizzy, unmanageable hair from this:

(Caitlin Miller/StyleBistro)

to this:

Hair crush: Jennifer Aniston (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Ok, well you get the idea.

I shampooed and conditioned my hair as normal and ended my hair routine with a good old-fashioned towel dry. After a quick blow dry — and by quick I mean 30 minutes because I have an absurdly large amount of hair — I plugged the Kiss Silicone Styler in and got ready for what I hoped to be magic. Take an upclose look at the silicone bars below:

Each ceramic plate contains a small silicone bar to help cushion hair strands. You can see one of the silicone bars above...it's the black thing on the ceramic. (Caitlin Miller/StyleBistro)

I was shocked at how quickly the straightener heated up. I set it to 420 degrees — the maximum heat intended for only the thickest hair — and it was heated up and ready to go in 60 seconds on the dot. Although, this was definitely the hottest styling product I've ever used, I could barely tell. It did not make my hair hot to the touch, nor did it radiate so much heat to cause me to sweat, which has happened before. Gross.

I took it slow and applied the straightener to different sections of my hair. Amazingly, I only had to go over each section a maximum of three times, if that. For me, that's nothing. I normally straighten the same section six times before it even gives the appearance of attempting to be straight. And never once did my hair feel dry. Almost immediately after going over each section, the hair felt smoother and softer. No sign of frizz!

Now, here's the real kicker: I finished my whole head in 16 minutes. 16 minutes, y'all! I have never, I repeat, NEVER, used a straightener for under 25 minutes. And all of my hair was silky smooth. Even the ends of my hair, which normally look fried and well, straw-like, appeared smooth and healthy. For a solid five minutes afterward, I just kept running my fingers through my hair. But don't take my word for it, take a look for yourself:

This may be as close to having Jennifer Aniston's hair as I'm going to get! (Caitlin Miller/StyleBistro)

(Sidenote: Sorry for the awkward selfies. It's been a long time since I've had a MySpace.)

I can honestly say that I was super pleased with this straightener. It was easy to use (literally you turn it on and pick your heat setting), fast (16 minutes!), and left my hair feeling probably as smooth as it ever has felt outside of a salon. As for the cool science, it's hard for me to tell if each individual strand is "healthier," however, judging by overall smoothness and lack of frizz, I'd say there was definite moisture retention — the good kind!